He's Not Glowing
by tkelparis
Summary: Jack's Boe-Kind senses tell him something that Rose needs to know about the Doctor's feelings toward her. And so does the Doctor. (Not Doctor/Rose.)


**Title**: He's Not Glowing

**Series**: There's The Door!

**Rating**: T (Jack's involved, although nothing happens)

**Author**: tkel_paris

**Summary**: Jack's Boe-Kind senses tell him something that Rose needs to know about the Doctor's feelings toward her. And so does the Doctor.

**Disclaimer**: If only Jack had said something. Some important character growth would've happened for at least two people.

**Dedication**: tardis_mole, for teaching me about how many depths there just might be to Jack's character.

**Author's Note**: A bit more serious on Jack's part. Important, though.

**He's Not Glowing**

**Started May 25, 2012**

**Finished February 7, 2013**

Jack Harkness had enjoyed the dancing aboard the TARDIS. He had a new lease on life, even if he still couldn't remember those two years stolen from him. Now he could enjoy flirting with two people at once – and one was a Time Lord!

But when he took a moment to read what he could of their thoughts, he was struck by two things. The Doctor was blocking his thoughts, which frustrated the Boe-Kind. But more importantly, Rose was entranced with the Doctor.

Strange, given that the Doctor said she had a boyfriend. Rose didn't come across as taken. And she seemed to be trying to make the Time Lord jealous. The Doctor's actions didn't look anything like that reaction, but she didn't seem to notice.

He watched the two talking as the Doctor piloted the living ship through time. Yeah, these two needed a few things pointed out to them. Might not be pretty and it could get him kicked off the TARDIS right away, but he thought it was for their own good. It was worth the risk.

"Hey, Rose!" he called out. She seemed the more important one to get through to, given the obvious infatuation.

She looked up with a beaming smile. "Yes?"

Ah, yes. Rose was a flirt. That didn't always mean that a person couldn't fall in love, but they did have to take care to not hurt the object of their affections. But did this one like to provoke jealousy? "I think we should go to some bar. Find you a man suited to your tastes."

Rose laughed. "Why should I? What would a stranger have that I don't have already in this room?"

The Doctor flinched, which was the final confirmation Jack sought. Not that he needed it. "Well, he might be someone who's in love with you."

Her eyes popped. "What?!" She looked at the Doctor, and then back at Jack. "You're wrong!"

Jack grabbed her by the shoulders. "I can prove it, but I need to tell you a few things about me to explain how I know what I know."

She frowned, anxious, but nodded. After all, there was something heady about how intensely he was looking into her eyes.

Clearing his throat, Jack prepared to say the most personal things he could without being married to someone. "I'm not human." He continued before Rose's bigger shock could provoke words. "My species is called Boe-Kind. We're descended from the child of a marriage between a Human and a Time Lord about a thousand years ago. We revere those two ancestors for overcoming huge biases on his own people's part to wed – and then to have their child."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Leela and Andred are your ancestors?"

Jack grinned. "Yeah, and the stories about you were passed on. She had a lot of respect for you, and was grateful that you introduced them."

"Wait!" Rose sharply interrupted, turning to glare at the Doctor. "Who's Leela and how did you know her?"

The Doctor frowned over the jealous tone. "She was one of my past companions."

"You mean I'm not the first?!"

Jack turned her back so she missed the Doctor's harsh glare. "He's an old man, Rose. He doesn't look it, but Time Lords have extremely long lives. I bet," he added softly, looking with empathy at the man who he wished he could flirt more with, "that he had children and other descendants before the war ended."

Rose looked back, and saw the Doctor nod slowly. Her jaw fell.

"Anyway," Jack continued, catching Rose's attention by turning her again. "My people are able to sense when someone is emotionally taken, paired with another. It was sort of designed into us. Of course, some things are obvious even to a human. One glaring sign that someone is in love is they have this shine around them that only has one word to describe it: glowing. A person can smile without glowing, but when they're in love, they give it off any time they even think of their love." He looked deeply into Rose's eyes. "He's not glowing."

She looked back at the Doctor. "What do you mean?"

"He doesn't glow when he looks at you or talks about you. And I think he knows what that means for you."

The Doctor didn't need to feel Jack's slight telepathic thought to know he had to nod again. "I'm sorry, Rose."

Rose's eyes started watering. She wanted to not believe it, but she hadn't known her Doctor to ever lie to her. "But...can't it one day happen?" she pleaded with him.

Jack gave her a one-armed hug. "One thing about my people that was inherited from Andred: when we fall in love, it's instant. It comes from what can be seen with our time senses and other things that a typical human – especially of your era – can't detect. If he hasn't fallen in love with you already, it means he never will."

Tears fell freely from Rose's eyes. She knew when a flirt was telling the truth, and he was. She could also see it in the Doctor's eyes. She ran out of the room, wailing.

There was a long moment of silence in the Control Room. Jack finally broke it. "Think she'll ask to go home?"

The Doctor nodded and let out a depressed sigh. It was probably for the best, but he didn't like the idea of being alone again.

Jack glared at him. "Hey! I'm still here!"

"Oi! I had my shields up!"

"You don't have to be telepathic to read your face, Doc."

That got a grin. "Right. And you are here. Well, I suppose you'll do. Just no funny business, Jack!"

The Boe-Kind sighed. "Well, I won't promise to not flirt, but I know enough about the timelines to know that you will be taken soon enough." The thought that he might know something the last of the Time Lords didn't brought a grin to his face.

The Doctor scowled. "I'm destined to be alone."

"Oh, I think you'll be married someday."

The Doctor shook his head and went to the controls to bring them to Powell Estate.

"And she'll be a ginger."

"Listen, Jack," the Doctor snapped. "Just because you might have a match-maker streak doesn't mean-" He cut himself off as the last words sank in. He slowly turned to face him with awed hope. "Did you say ginger?"

Jack beamed. Score one for the Boe-Kind!

THE END


End file.
